Railway snow-clearing machine.



r. 0. HARRIS. v RAILWAY SNOW CLEARING MAGHINE. APPLICATION FILED OUT.28, 1908.

924,902. Patented June 15, 1909.

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7 *6 9 lNvEN'ruH FREDERICK E.HA1=LHI F. G. HARRIS. RAILWAY SNOW CLEARINGMACHINE. APPLICATION FILED 001222. 1908.

Paltented'June 15, 1909.

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WITNESSES I INVENTDH W 7/ v Q FREDERICK B.HAR'HI wmgm THE NORRIS rsrsnsco., WASNINOTOALD L FREDERICK CLINTON HARRIS, OF SAGKVILLE, NEWBRUNSWICK, CANADA.

RAILWAY SNOW-GLEARIN G MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed October 28, 1908.

Patented June 15, 1909.

Serial No. 459,844.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FREDERICK CLINTON HARRIS, of the town of Sackville,in the Province of New Brunswick and Dominion of Canada, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in Railway Snow-Clearing Machines,of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to improvements in railway snow clearing machinesand the object is to provide a device that can be used in the ordinarymanner for breaking out the track after a snow storm, and thenimmediately adjusted for widening the cut thus formed and throwing thesnow removed to both sides of the track.

A further object is to provide a widening means which can be readilyadjusted and drawn in when passing trains or objects close to the track.

To accomplish these objects, I provide a plow of ordinary form forbreaking out the track in the usual manner. On either side of the plowand to the rear thereof, are secondary plows having the same inclinationas the first. These secondary plows are hinged at the rear of themachine so that the points thereof may be swung out or in by a suitablemechanism. Inclined planes or chutes are provided at their lower orfront ends near the point of the secondary plows. Mold boards are fixedto the upper or rear extremities of the chutes to throw the snowoutwardly toward the fences on either side of the track. Suitablemechanism is provided for moving the chutes in or out independently ofthe secondary plows. A suitable lookout compartment is provided at thetop of the machine from where the adjustment of the various parts of theapparatus can be readily and easily effected.

In the drawings which illustrate my inventionz Figure 1 is a sideelevation of the de vice. Fig. 2 is a plan view showing one of thesecondary plows and chutes moved out in operative position. Fig. 3 is afront elevation similar to Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a rear elevationcorresponding to Figs. 2 and 3.

In the above defined figures, 5 designates a push plow of the ordinaryrailway type mounted on trucks 6. Triangular wings or secondary plows 7are hinged on each side of the apparatus at 8 near the rear thereof, sothat the points 9, which are each provided with a strong metal nose 10,may swing outwardly, as seen in Figs. 2, 3 and 4. Each wing is providedwith a triangular top plate 11 extending inwardly therefrom, and formingpart of an inclined chute parallel with the front of the plow. The otherportion of each chute is formed by a plate 12 which is pivoted at 13 tothe nose of the wing and extends rearwardly and upwardly in the sameplane as the top plate 11. A curved mold board 14 is fixed to the upperextremity of the plate 12, as seen in the drawings. The upper edges ofthe mold boards and the outer edges of the plates 12 are stiffened byangles 15 and 16, respectively, riveted thereto.

To prevent the outer top corners of the plates 12 from sagging, Iprovide bars 17 pivoted at their upper extremities 18 to the rear of themachine. Further bars 19 are pivoted at their upper extremities 20 tothe brackets 21 fixed to the under sides of the plates 12. The lowerextremities of these bars are united by pivots 22. Chains 23 are fixedto the machine body and the chains passed around pulleys 24 carried bythe bars 17 and fixed to the bars 19, as seen in Fig. 4. These chainsprevent sagging of the bars, and further keep the pivots 22perpendicularly under the centers of the arcs formed between the bars,thereby forcing the upper extremity 20 of the bar 19, when movlngoutwardly, to move in a horizontal line. Scrub irons 25 are provided tokeep the bars 17 and 19 clear of the body of the machine. A suitablelookout compartment 26 is provided at the top of the apparatus havingfront and side windows 27 and 28, respectively, and a door 29 at therear reached by a ladder 30, or other suitable means. The mechanism foradjusting the Wings and chutes is shown to consist of toothed racks 31pivoted to the moving members and engaged by pinions 32 rotated by meansof shafts 33 and hand wheels 34 located in the lookout compartment. Thisrack and pinion mechanism may be replaced by any other suitablemechanism which will quickly and easily move the parts in or out.

The operation of the device is very simple and can be readily understoodfrom the drawings which show the wing and chutes extended in operativeposition on one side of the machine and folded or drawn in on the otherside.

When breaking out a track after a heavy storm, the wings and chutes aredrawn in and the Vplow operated as an ordinary push plow. hen the trackis thus opened and the greater weight of snow removed, the machine istransformed into a Widener by moving the wings and chutes out so that astheapparatus is shoved or hauled along the track, the secondary plows orwings 7 cut away the snow on either side of the cut previously made. Thesnow thus loosened passes up the chute plates 12 and is thrown to eachside by the mold boards 14, thus preventing it from falling back intothe cutting.

The crew in the outlook 26 can, by means of the hand wheels 34 locatedtherein, adjust the apparatus to suit varying conditions. For example,when passing water tanks, the upper or rear end of the plate 12 is drawnin. As this plate is pivoted at its lower end 13, it will be seen thatthe up er end may be moved independently of the lower end, or of thewing 7 When passing a station platform, the wing may be drawn in untilits point 9 clears the platform, while the upper end of the plate 12remains out full width. When assing a train, the wing 7 and chute 12 mayboth be drawn in on the passing side without in any way affecting thecorresponding parts on the other side. Thus it will be seen that each ofthese movable parts is entirely independent of all the others andperforms its own function regardless of whether the other parts are inoperation or not. The outer top corners of the chute plates 12 areprevented from sagging by the bars 17 and 19 which are connected, asshown in the drawings, by the chains 23. The arrangement of this chaincauses each of the levers to move through an equal arc and maintain thepivots 22 perpendicularly under the centers of the arcs formed betweenthe levers, whereby the upper extremity of levers 19 move in ahorizontal line, the drop due to the radial motion be ing compensatedfor by the rise of the pivots 22 at the lower extremity of the levers17.

The advantages of the device will be obvious from the foregoingdescription and drawings.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is 1. A snow clearingmachine comprising a plow, secondary plows on each side thereof, chutespivoted to said secondary plows, and mold boards fixed to said chutes.

2. A snow clearing machine comprising a plow, adjustable secondary plowson each side thereof, chutes coo erating with said secondary plows, andmo d boards at the dis charge ends of said chutes.

3. A snow clearing machine comprising a plow, secondary plows on eachside and to the rear thereof, means for adjusting said secondary plows,chutes pivoted to said second- 5. A snow clearing machine comprising aplow, a secondary plow on each side of and to the, rear thereof, hingedwings carrying said secondary plows, inwardly extending top plates fixedto the u per edges of said wings, chutes pivoted to the secondary plowsand lying in the same plane as said top plates,

means for adjusting each of said secondary plates separately andindependently of the secondary plows, a curved mold board at thedischarge end of each of said chutes, and means for maintaining saidchutes transversel horizontal.

6. A snow clearing machine comprising a plow, a secondarvplow on eachside of and to the rear thereof, hinged wings carrying said secondaryplows, inwardly extending top plates fixed to the u per edges of saidwings, chutes pivoted to the secondary plows and lying in the same planeas the top plates, means for adjusting each of said secondary plates,separately and independently of the secondary plows, a curved mold boardat'the discharge end of each of said chutes, pivoted bars and chains cooerating to maintain said chutes transversely horizontal, and a lookoutcompartment located at the top of the machine and containing saidadjusting means.

7. A snow clearing machine com rising a body having a plow at the frontt ereof, a secondary plow at each side thereof, to the rear of saidplow, wings hinged to the rear of said body and carrying said secondaryplows, inwardly extending top plates fixed to the upper edges of saidwings, chutes pivoted to the secondary plows and lying in the same planeas said top plates, gearing for adjusting each of said. secondary lowsand wings separately and independent y of the chutes, gearing foradjusting each of said chutes separately and independently of saidsecondary plows and wings, a lookout com artment located above the bodyof the mac ine, operating mechanism for said gearing located Within saidlookout compartment, a curved mold board at the discharge end of each ofsaid chutes, body bars pivotally depending from the rear of said body,chute bars pivotally depending from the upper ends of the chutes, pivotsconnecting the lower extremities of said bars, pulleys carried by saidbody bars,

and chains fixed to the body passing around of said chutes, and meansfor adjusting said 10 said pulleys and fixed. to the chute bars chutesseparately and independently of the whereby the radial motion of saidbars is secondary plows. maintained equal. In witness whereofI havehereunto set my 8. In a snow clearing machine, the combihand in thepresence of two witnesses.

nation with a plow, a secondary plow on each FREDERICK CLINTON HARRIS.

side thereof, chutes adjacent said secondary Witnesses: plows, means foradjusting each of said sec- F. W. EMMERsoN, ondary plows separately andindependently H. H. COLEMAN.

